FORMER York City defender Graham Potter has admitted that his odds-defying Ostersunds team will definitely be underdogs having drawn Arsenal in the last 32 of the Europa League.

Potter, who made 131 appearances and scored eight goals for the Minstermen between 2000 and 2003, is the only English coach left in European competition after the unfashionable Swedish team, he has managed for the last six years, finished second in their qualifying group behind eight-time Spanish champions Athletic Bilbao and above former UEFA Cup semi-finalists Hertha Berlin.

Ostersunds had already caused an upset by reaching the group stages, knocking out the likes of former European Cup semi-finalists Galatasary and two-time Greek champions PAOK in the preliminary rounds.

Former City youth-team attacker Jamie Hopcutt scored a vital stoppage-time goal during the 3-1 victory over Turkish giants Galatasaray and, having featured in nine of Ostersunds’ 12 matches so far in the competition, he will also be keen to pit his wits against Arsene Wenger’s Gunners.

Ostersunds were only founded in 1996 – the same year that Wenger took charge in North London.

But Potter, who also had a stint coaching the lower age groups of City’s academy, has taken the provincial club from the Swedish fourth division to the top flight with three promotions in five seasons.

They went on to qualify for Europe by lifting the Swedish Cup following a 4-1 win over Norrkoping in April.

Potter’s team will now host Arsenal on Thursday, February 15, before travelling to the 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium for the return leg seven days later.

On that mouth-watering prospect, Potter said: "It’s a fantastic draw! I wanted to get a really big team and I think it is really cool to be going home to England and meeting one of the best teams in the Premier League. Now we are really underdogs."

The full Europa League draw is: Borussia Dortmund v Atalanta, Nice v Lokomotiv Moscow, FC Copenhagen v Atletico Madrid, Spartak Moscow v Athletic Bilbao, AEK Athens v Dynamo Kiev, Celtic v Zenit St Petersburg, Napoli v RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade v CSKA Moscow, Lyon v Villarreal, Real Sociedad v FC Salzburg, Partizan Belgrade v Viktoria Plzen, Steaua Bucharest v Lazio, Ludogorets Razgrad v AC Milan, Astana v Sporting Lisbon, Ostersunds v Arsenal, Marseille v Braga.

City have agreed a new date, meanwhile, for their trip to Telford, which was postponed at the weekend due to a waterlogged pitch.

The game will now be played on Tuesday, January 16, kick-off 7.45pm.